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SMITH COUNTY – On Monday afternoon, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to provide updates and release the identities of the victims in the fatal shooting that took place at Valley Blues nightclub on Sunday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith identified the victim who was killed in the shooting as 23-year-old Aaron Lamar Jackson, who was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

Smith also identified the other victim in the shooting as 23-year-old Aaron Gordon Johnson Jr. Smith said that Johnson is currently in the hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries after he was in critical condition following the shooting. Authorities do believe that the shooting was gang-related, claiming that rival gangs were both at the club, leading to the incident.
Continue reading IDs of victims released after Tyler shooting

ATHENS — The Athens City Council unanimously approved a $2.25 million engineering contract with Plummer Associates, Inc. for the city’s West and North Wastewater Treatment Plants on Dec. 22. According to our news partner KETK, the agreement includes improving the city’s wastewater treatment plants through major electrical upgrades and designing a new 1,500-square-foot administration building, which will be needed to support future expansion.

The purchase of a trailer-mounted mechanical sludge dewatering system will be used by both treatment plants to remove excess water from sludge, making it easier and less costly to handle and transport, the City of Athens said. A storage area will be built to house the equipment when it is not in use later on. Construction costs for the project are not included in the contract and will require separate approval by the city council.

KILGORE — The City of Kilgore announced the appointment of their new fire marshal, Terry Linder, on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Linder joins the city of Kilgore after serving as a deputy fire marshal with the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office from 2022-2025. Before that, Linder worked as the fire marshal for Rusk County and as a fire fighter with Smith County Emergency Services District 2.

In addition to his full-time experience, Linder serves part-time with the Elderville-Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department and retired from the Kilgore Police Department as a Lieutenant in 2022.

The position opened up after the former fire marshal, Ryan Riley, was promoted to fire chief. Linder attended Rusk High School and the Kilgore College Fire Academy and is actively pursuing a degree in Public Administration at Tarleton State University.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department is investigating a shooting that led to the death of one person on Saturday evening.

According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to a reported shooting in the 100th block of West Highland at around 7 p.m. Once on the scene, authorities located one man who had sustained gunshot wounds. The victim, later identified as Byrondrick Davis, was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

RUSK — A search party was organized on Saturday for James David Blount, who was last seen in Rusk over three weeks ago.

“We’re all hoping that he is still alive,” Nicole Morris, an organizer of the event, said. “But at this point, I think we’re all kind of coming to the conclusion that it’s no longer a search and rescue, and it’s more so a recovery.”

Blount went missing on Dec. 2, and four days later, his vehicle was discovered along Highway 84 near the Neches River. Since then, law enforcement has been working to locate Blount, but their efforts have not yet been successful.

“My heart hurts for the family and that’s why I’m just so adamant about keeping his name alive and keeping his story alive,” Morris said. Continue reading Community unites in search for missing man

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that left one man dead and one injured. Around 2:45 Sunday morning, deputies responded to an active shooting at the Valley Blues Club, County Road 486, just north of Tyler off of Texas College Road.

Deputies found a chaotic scene with several hundred individuals attempting to leave the location. One male gunshot victim was located in the parking lot and another male victim had been transported by private vehicle to UT Health ER in Tyler. The victim on scene was transported to UT Health ER where he was later pronounced deceased. The other gunshot victim is currently undergoing surgery and is in critical condition.

Smith County Investigators and the Crime Scene Unit are currently at the location conducting their investigation. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by DPS, Tyler PD, and Texas Game Warden K-9 Unit. Continue reading One dead, one in critical in nightclub shooting

SMITH COUNTY — Fire crews are battling a grass fire in Smith County that spread to an RV on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County ESD2 firefighters were called to FM 2089 in Overton after receiving reports of a grass fire. When crews arrived, they found an RV fully involved in flames. According to ESD2 Nikki Simmons, no injuries have been reported.

UPDATE: The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the pedestrian who was killed in Thursday’s crash as Rodolfo Mora, 68, Tyler. The investigation remains ongoing and no charges have been filed against the driver at this time.

TYLER – A man has died after being hit by a vehicle on Loop 323 in Tyler on Thursday. According to Smith County Justice of the Peace Andy Dunklin and our news partner KETK, a man was hit by a vehicle while in the 200 block of East NE Loop 323 near Lavender Road. Dunklin pronounced the man dead at the scene and has ordered an autopsy to be performed.

RUSK — A search is scheduled for Saturday in Rusk as volunteers gather to look for missing man James David Blount, who was last seen on Dec. 2. According to our news partner KETK, Saturday’s search is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. at Truckerz, located on West Sixth Street in Rusk. Participants will search wooded areas on foot. Volunteers are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes or boots, brightly colored clothing and safety vests if available. ATVs, four-wheelers and vehicles capable of traveling dirt roads are also encouraged.

Blount is described as a white man who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs about 200 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. Rusk police said he was last seen on Tuesday, Dec. 2. His vehicle was later found along Highway 84 near the Neches River on Dec. 6.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said a $25,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to Blount’s location. Law enforcement agencies, along with Heal Corp., previously searched the Neches River and surrounding areas however, as of Dec. 21, those efforts had not located Blount.

LONGVIEW — Longview Transit and R&K Distributors are partnering up to provide free rides to anyone within Longview city limits on New Year’s Eve. The “Safe-Ride-Home” initiative is back for the tenth year, providing curb-to-curb pickup and scheduled ride services to anyone from 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 3 a.m. on Jan. 1. Whether riders have had a couple drinks or simply do not want to drive that night, the free rides make transportation easier and safer for everyone in the Longview area.

Start the year off safe and schedule your free ride at 903-753-2287 or at http://www.longviewtransit.com starting Dec. 27, at 8 a.m.

TYLER – State environmental regulators have cited the Parkside development in Tyler for violating the Texas Water Code after determining that unauthorized stormwater runoff from the construction site flowed directly into the lake at Faulkner Park. The Parkside development is a Genecov Properties, Inc. project currently under construction by Genecov West Mud Creek, LLC. The site is located on the southwest side of the intersection of Cumberland Road and South Broadway Avenue in Tyler.

According to our news partner KETK, the 600,000-square-foot project is planned to extend high-profile retailers, entertainment venues and restaurants from South Broadway Avenue to Tyler’s Faulkner Park. Four TCEQ investigators inspected the site between Sept. 3 and Oct. 15. During the Sept. 3 inspection, an investigator examined an unnamed tributary of West Mud Creek that runs through the construction site and drains into the lake at Faulkner Park.

A TCEQ investigation report states that a project manager for Genecov West Mud Creek, LLC. provided the investigator with the site’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. The plan identified six sediment basins intended to collect stormwater runoff. However, the investigator reported that none of the basins had been constructed as of Sept. 3. Continue reading Tyler park cited for stormwater violations